r'"- 



i% 



1862. 



.rr THE ILLmOIS FARMRE. 



147 



- Good stock laws we need. Let us hear this 

 matter fully discussed. 



More anon, 

 '" , ^ ' Clod Hoppbe. 



We have given the law as it stands at present, 

 in previous numbers of the FAKMsa, Our Su- 

 preme Court has been on both sides of the queS' 

 tion. The county courts north of Springfield, 

 as a general thing, decide that there is no law 

 in regard to fencing, on^y as between adjacent 

 farms, and that all others are trespassers who 

 allow their stock to run at large. In the coun. 

 ties south the courts have decided that the com- 

 mon law is not applicable to this State, and per- 

 mit stock to run at large, thus Qompelling farm- 

 ers to fence against the large herds that are often 

 owned by non-'residents andparties who own no 

 land, but live by plundering others. A more en- 

 lightened sentiment is now prevading, and it will 

 not be long before every owner of a hoof will be 

 compelled to keep it on his own premises. There 

 can be no question that the prairie pasture is the 

 most expensive under ordinary circumstances 

 that we have. In this county, the practice is to 

 make every man accountable for the damage 

 done by his stock, and if he wants to pastare 

 them on the prairie, he must look to it that they 

 do no damage. With the exception of the old 

 settlers about the groves, a large portion of the 

 fences are made with three boards to the pannel. 

 As Clod Hopper says, it is a loosing business to 

 pasture on the prairie, as by pasturing your own 

 land, you improve it annually, and have both 

 certain and later feed for your stock. It is great 

 absurdity to compell a farmer to fence against 

 all the stock that some shiftless farmer, or some 

 cattle feeder may choose to turn on to his crops. 

 As no farmer can keep stock and raise gruiD 

 without confining the fkrm, it follow- that he 

 must fence in one or the other, lie need not 

 fence in the grain for that will not stray oflF. but 

 as his stock will, and are liable to be injured by 

 breaking into corn fields, it is the best economy 

 to fence them in. But in ihe eaHy settlement of 

 the country, when little attention was paid to 

 iprain growing, ami il^e etock interest was the 

 modt Unportabt, there was soine excuse for allow- 

 ing stock to run at large and to fence in the f mall 

 patches of grain, though at present when the 

 grain interest has become the most important, it 

 would seem that common sense if not common 

 laws should protect the farnier who wishes to 

 imltivate grain, against. tlie rapacity of the Block 

 grown. We fihould be glad to' h6ar ftoiia ' otKers 

 nnfh'ig subjeot. Ed. 



(For the IllinolB Fanner.) 



A Saltpeter Cave in Pike County. 



'"' ' ' Concord, April I7th, 1862.";. 



Editob iLLiifois Farmke:— As the Chicago 

 Tribune seems to call for information through 

 your paper as to whether there is such a thing 

 existing in the State of Illinois as a saltpeter 

 cave, and as it seems to have ^some doubts about 

 the matter, I would state for their information, 

 and also others who may have any interest in the 

 matter, that I visited ouch a place twice. The 

 last visit I made to it was in 1855. At that time 

 the remains of an arch where the boiling process 

 seemed to have been carried on B^any years prev- 

 ious, were still visibleL S '"'"'. ' ' ' "' . ' 



At the time of my visit to the cave, no one 

 seemed to take any interest in it, except as a 

 curiosity. Stalacites were hanging around in 

 the cave, but many had been broken off by those 

 who had previously visited it. It is situated in a « 

 limestone rocky bluff, on a stream called the 

 Little Blue, west of the Illinois river, in Pike 

 county, some eight miles easterly of Griggsville. 

 Any person wishing to visit the cave, can call on 

 Dr. A. Metour, who resides at the town ef 

 Milton, who would probably give any further in»« 

 formation needed. The town of Milton is about 

 ten miles south of Griggsville, and two miles 



from the eave spoken ot, 



"■■""••'" i' '■ ■ '^« ■■'-•-■■■ ■■' ■" ■ M. J. Pond. 



Can any of our readers give as farther light on 

 thiiB subject ? Pike county is one of the most in- 

 teresting counties in the State, many parts of 

 the county contain ledges of limestone, and the 

 surface is generally broken, the streams run 

 through deep gorges, exposing the various strata 

 of earboniferous rock. Situated as forming the 

 peninsula between the Illinois and Mississippi 

 river, it embracesmanypointsof deep interest, not 

 only to the geologist, metorologist and the farmer, 

 subject to heavy rains and again severe drouth. 

 Were it not for her dry rich soil and the ready 

 drainage, her now valuable farms would be worth- 

 less. Will not some of our many readers from 

 that county give as a series of chapters on that 

 interesting region of the State. . ^^ 



__ short man became attached to, a taH 

 woman, and somebody said that he had fallen in 

 love with her. "Do you call it falling in love ?" 

 said the snitori'*^ ** ItfB more like climbing 



♦ ». 



jM^Ah Indiah. on seeing a fash ible lady, 

 exclaimed : <«Whoop ! Big wigwe * 



